Research

Butser Ancient Farm is a world-famous experimental archaeology site – an open-air research laboratory where we are able to test theories that might tell us more about how our ancestors lived. Click through on the links below to find past, present and future experiments that we have undertaken or plan to undertake at the farm.

We also welcome research proposals from students and academics, and have previously worked with several universities and archaeology groups. Please contact admin@butserancientfarm.co.uk if you would like to work with us. We also stock a number of published research papers which are available to buy in the gift shop for £5 each. The titles of these include:

The Discovery and Utilisation of Iron by A. G. Hamlin BScRural Life and Farming by Peter J. ReynoldsSlash and Burn Experiment by Peter J. ReynoldsThe Mediaeval Fence by Peter J. ReynoldsExperimental Reconstruction by Peter J. ReynoldsMediaeval Cereal Yields: An Empirical Challenge by Peter J. ReynoldsThe Nature of Experiment in Archaeology by Peter J. ReynoldsDeadstock and Livestock by Peter J. ReynoldsCrop Yields of the Prehistoric Cereal Types by Peter J. ReynoldsRomano-British Corn-Drying Oven: An Experiment by Peter J. ReynoldsA Traditional History of the Bronze Age in Western Europe by Timothy Concannon